Loving in Color

MARCH PROMPTLY PENNED

Hey! And welcome to my first Promptly Penned. If you’ve never seen this before, we’re given a writing prompt then have to jump off from there. Each of us has the same one so it’ll be fun to see how we use it. Okay, so here goes.

“I thought I’d made it clear we have a no abduction policy.”

Jayne peered over her glasses at Tessa, pinning her with a gaze. Undaunted, Tessa stared right back

“She wasn’t cooperating. What did you expect me to do?”

“Not kidnap her, Tessa,” Jayne said, as she tossed her expensive eyewear on the desk. “Is that too much to ask?”

“Kidnap is such an ugly word. I liberated her, borrowed her if you will. You wanted her here, she wouldn’t come. I asked nicely, she slammed the door in my face. Besides, weren’t you the one who said don’t take no for an answer.

“I didn’t think you would abduct her.”

Tessa shook her head. “Doesn’t matter, she’s here now and totally unhurt. So, now you can talk to her and I can get back to my vacation.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Jayne said, rising to her feet. “Once Natalie and I speak, if she’ll speak to me, you have to take her back.”

Tessa wearily rubbed her face. “I do one tiny favor for you and this is what I get. Grief, grief and a need for more favors.”

“You’re my only operative able to take her back. The only one I trust.”

“Boy, I bet that killed you to say that.” Tessa said, stunned. “Fine, I’ll take her back, but not today. I’m tired and need to get some rest.”

“I doubt she’ll talk to me anyway,” Jayne said.

“What do you expect? You haven’t seen your daughter in…what? Ten years? And you think she’d going to welcome you with open arms?”

Jayne dropped back into her desk chair. “I’ve written letters. Tried to explain.”

“Yeah, well she didn’t act as if she wanted to have anything to do with you. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”

“Truth or not, she’s almost twenty-one. If her powers kick in when mine did she could die without help.”

Or kill people, Tessa thought, but didn’t say it out loud. Killing people was so much worse, especially when they were your family or, at least, the only family you knew. Don’t think about it, she told herself, didn’t do any good. It was old news and something she couldn’t fix.

“Then you’d better talk to her and convince her to get tested,” Tessa finally said. “If she’s normal then no big deal, she can go back to her life. If she’s not, she needs to know now. Not after she goes nova.”

“Thanks, Tessa. I appreciate the zeal in which you completed your assignment.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Zeal? I like it. Better than kidnapping, I suppose.”

Before Jayne could say anything else, Tessa left the office and headed toward her rooms. She needed to lock herself down before the power in her system flashed. Unlike others of her ilk, Tessa’s power seemed limitless, but there were…drawbacks. That’s how the scientists had put it. Drawbacks. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, blowing up was a drawback alright.